Leanne Brown's official welcome to the city council table today makes her the fourth woman on Tauranga City Council, which may be a first.

Mayor Stuart Crosby says there were three women on the council back in the early 1990s, but he doesn't remember there being four before now.

Mayor Stuart Crosby witnesses Councillor Leanne Brown signing her declaration of service to the city. Photo: Bruce Barnard.

Leanne says it's good to see the gender balance is slowly ‘getting there'. She thanked the 3,249 other people who voted for her, saying 'I voted for myself because I believe in myself.”

She's already known to council staff because part of her former Mount Maunganui Mainstreet manager's job was presenting regular reports on the organisation to council.

Since then Leanne has been working in a part-time positon with Bethlehem Town centre, from which she resigned after the election.

On a like-for-like basis, the councillor's salary isn't better, says Leanne.

'I don't want to put Colliers into an awkward position by saying too much about what I earned, but at the end of the day it's really important people don't think I did this for the money,” she says.

'It's something I have considered for a long time and the time is right, so it's not something I have done for a better salary.”

The ceremony was opened by independent chair of the city's Tangata Whenua/Tauranga City Council Committee independent chairman Huikakahu Kawe, who took the karakia and mihi.

'Today we are privileged to welcome into the house Leanne Brown,” says Huikakahu.

He recapped how Leanne won the by-election created by councillor Clayton Mitchell's departure for parliament and how Leanne prevailed against the four others who stood for the seat.

'Despite the challenges, she's the one standing on top of the mountain today so we welcome you here today, that you have taken up this challenge.”

Mayor Stuart Crosby spoke about Leanne's previous experiences in the council chamber with the Mainstreet organisation.

'This time you get to sit in the bigger chairs,” says Stuart.

He thanked the other candidates for their efforts, saying the democratic process is really important.

'This year we commemorate 100 years since the start of WWI and there is still conflict going on around the world in the fight for democracy,” he adds.

'While some may not respect the democratic process, that's not the case around the council table.

'People's right to be a representative is something they all take very seriously. We look forward to your contribution.”

He says Leanne's been researching the city's planning documents and reading up on what the council is up to, but she has stepped straight into the biggest task facing the current council – the Long Term Plan, which has yet to go out for public consultation.

While advice for most new councillors is to sit back and breathe through the nose for a while, Stuart says they want Leanne, with her familiarity with the city and the community, to begin contributing straight away.